A Study Of Brain Function, The Levels Of Serum Lipid And Related Psychosociological Factors Of Depression In Late Life

Objective: This study attempted to explore brain electrobiological activity, monoamine neurotransmitters, serum lipids and relative psychosocial factors of elderly depressed patents so as to deepen the understanding of the elderly depression and provide reliably a theoretical basis for treatment and prevention.Methods: The method adopted in this paper was case-controlled design. 30 elderly depressive people (aged over 60) (depression group) with the first episode of depression diagnosed according to CCMD-3, and 34 elderly healthy people (aged over 60) (control group) were investigated. All subjects were informed and agreed and then they were interviewed in self-designed general information questionnaire, HAMD, HAMA, MMSE, LES, SCSQ, SSRS and EPQ to analyze the psychosocial factors of elderly depressed people. Secondly, all subjects were collected plasma triglyceride (TG), serum cholesterol (CHO), serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) for nearly a week. Thirdly, the electrobiological activity, entropy value, brain function state and the change of monoamine neurotransmitters of subjects were detected by encephalof luctuography technology (ET).Then comparison of two groups were carried out to analyze the brain function, serum lipids and relative factors of elderly depressed patents,Results: 1. Brain fuction:(1)The anterior-posterior reversal rates of dominant power in encephalofluctuograph were higher in depression group than those of control group and the left-right reversal rates were higher in control group than those of depression group(P<0.001).(2)The depression group showed significantly more 8Hz activity than that of control (P<0.05) . The depression group showed significantly less 10Hz activity than that of control group (P<0.05). The entropy value of the depression group showed higher than that of the control group(P<0.01).(3) The monoamine neurotransmitters value (NE, 5-HT and DA) in depression group were lower than those of control group(P<0.001,P<0.001,P<0.01).2. Biochemistry:(1)Triacylglycerol (TG) in depression group was higher than that in control group(P<0.01), cholesterol (CHO) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C) in depression group were lower than those in control group(P<0.05, P<0.001),and serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C)in two groups showed no statistical significant deviation(P>0.05). (2) The relationship between monoamine neurotransmitters and serum lipids: significantly positive correlations existed in elderly depressed group between CHO and NE(r=0.509, P<0.05),CHO and 5-HT levels respectively(r=0.454, P<0.05).3. Cognition and Coping:(1) The scores of MMSE were significantly lower in depression group than control group(P<0.001), the scores of immediate recall and long-delayed recall were significantly lower in depression group than those in control group(P<0.01,P<0.001). (2) The scores of positive coping were significantly lower in depression group than those in control group(P<0.001),The scores of passive coping were significantly higher in depression group than those in control group(P<0.01).4. Social factors: (1) The account of life events, the scores of life events, the account of negative life events and the scores of negative life events were significantly higher in depression group than those in control group(P<0.001). (2)There were lower scores of social support and its use ,subjective support in depression group than those in control group(P<0.001, P<0.001, P<0.01).5. Personality factors: The scores of neuroticism and psychoticism were significantly higher in depression group than those in control group.Conclusion: (1) The brain function of elderly depressed patients was chaos: cerebral power reversed, more slow alpha waves, the orderliness decreased. (2) The serum lipids of elderly depressed patients changed, there was significant relationship between low serum cholesterol and elderly depression. (3) Elderly depressed patients had more severe cognitive impairment, negative life events and poorer social support played an important role in the occurrence of elderly depression, elderly people with higher neuroticism and psychoticism were likelier to develop depression. (4) The elderly depression resulted from the reaction between neurobiological and psychosocial factors, and it was interactive among psychosocial factors, the change of Biochemical Metabolism and brain function.